Update on 2020 Oregon Wildfires

 In 2020 I made at least three posts about wildfires in Oregon, one on October 20th, a second post on September 9th, and a third post on November 30th. When I saw the May 31st post from Wildfire Today on Facebook that I am embedding below about wildfire mitigation plans from the Bonneville Power Administration on Facebook and went back to review what I wrote in 2020, I wanted to share the post with you, which I am embedding here. I see from the post from Wildfire Today that the Bonneville Power Administration has rewritten their fire mitigation plan. These were devastating fires and I am hopeful that the Bonneville Power Administration will make some progress in mitigating the effects of these wildfires.

2020 wildfire season: summary from US NWS Incident Meteorologists

California has started off 2021 with red flag warnings and high fire danger starting on or about January 14th and continuing through on or about January 19th. I sincerely hope that this is not a sign of another devastating wildfire season in the U.S. The US National Weather Service Incident Meteorologist posted a nice graphic summary of the devastating 2020 wildfire season in a January 8th post. I share this with you below.

2020 wildfire season: Baker River Hotshots 2020 crew video

Enjoy this 2020 crew video from the Baker River Hotshots.

Direct link to video on Youtube 

2020 wildfire season: IMETs fire season and CAL Fire series

I have been watching Discovery Channel's short series on CAL FIRE this afternoon, but am not yet finished with what I can watch at this time. A couple of friends who are or were wildland firefighters recommended that I watch this series. Bill Gabbert of Wildfire Today was a wildland firefighter  for about 30 years, he has a review on his website. Unfortunately, I forgot to record the episode that aired on the Discovery Channel on Sunday, January 3rd, I am hoping that I will be able to watch this episode. At this time, I can say that I am enjoying the clips that I have seen, after all writing about aerial wildland firefighting and related concerns is what I do. I hope to have more to say this later this week or early next week

In the meantime when I logged onto Facebook I got a notification that that the NWS IMETs (Incident Meteorologists) made a post summarizing their year, their number of missions are not different from what they shared earlier in December 2020, 188 missions in 2020 (see my December 14th post). It was their fourth busiest season. As I have been reflecting on the devastating 2020 wildfire season it is only fitting to share this end of year summary from the NWS IMETs on their 2020 season with some additional numbers. You did good work providing timely forecasts to the wildfires you worked on, working hard to be sure that the firefighters had the best forecast possible. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart for your service. IMETs save lives. If your ad blocking or tracking extension don't allow you to see this embedded post and you prefer not to disable your settings, you may find the NWS IMET Office's facebook summarizing their 2020 fire season here.

Jamuary 7. 2021: I was preoccupied yesterday afternoon, making this post quickly. I have gone in and made some revisions, adding some details. 

2020 and 2019 wildfire season: Midewin Hotshots crew videos

The Midewin Interagency Hotshot Crew, based in the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington, Illinois is the only hotshot crew in the eastern region. As a resident of the eastern region, I am honored by their work fighting wildfires. They are a national resource. The Midewin Hotshots have a nice Facebook page that may be found here. 

I seemed to have missed posting their 2019 crew video, Included among the states where they fought wildfires in 2019 are Virginia, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Mexico, Alaska, and Michigan.

Direct link to 2019 Midewin Hotshot crew video on Youtube

In 2020 they worked wildfires in Missouri, Midewin Tallgrass Praire (Illinois), Michigan, Arizona, New Mexican, Washington, and Oregon. A listing of their 2020 crew is listed at the end of the video. 

Direct link to 2020 Midewin Hotshot crew video on Youtube

Nice fire photography including shots of tankers and helicopters in both videos. Thanks for your service where you honor the eastern region.

2020 wildfire season: initial attack on small brush fire in San Diego County CA

 Enjoy this video of two helicopters working a small brush fire in San Diego County California in support of wildland firefighters on the ground. Thanks to their efforts, this November 2020 brush fire was contained about about two acres. This is a fine example of initial attack successfully containing this brush fire at small acreage burned. Thanks to my friends at the NJFFS Section B10's video of the week page who shared this video from Onscene TV about three weeks ago.

Direct link to video from Onscene TV

2020 wildfire season: summary of NWS Incident Meteorologists (Dec 11th)

I want to thank all the NWS Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) who have been deployed on 188 incidents this year. As of Friday, December 11,  2020 there are zero IMETs out on missions. Even so, I know that IMETs are ready to serve if they are needed. Remember that earlier this year IMETs were deployed to Australia to help with their devastating bush fire season.

IMETS save lives!

2020 wildfire season: Glass Fire Tanker and Helo footage

 I don't know about you but sometimes I just like to look at footage of air tankers and helicopters working a wildfire in support of the wildland firefighters on the ground. I found this footage today in my wonderings on Youtube, it is about 30 minutes of tanker and helos working the Glass Fire in California in September/October of 2020. According to CAL FIRE, the Glass Fire burned 67,484 acres in Napa and Sonoma Counties California. At the time of this writing, the cause of the fire is under investigation. 1,555 structures were destroyed and another 282 were damaged.

Direct link to video on Youtube uploaded by Craig Philpott

2020 wildfire season: NWS Incident Meterologist deployed to Burn Fire (Orange County CA)

While areas burned earlier in the western U.S. may be beginning post fire rehabilitation and recovery, with the recent Santa Ana winds and Red Flag Warnings in California, I wondered if any wildfires would crop up. I heard about the Bond Fire in Orange County, CA yesterday, perhaps through the news feed on my devices or on social media. The fire started late the night of December 2nd from a house fire. I read Bill Gabbert's December 3rd coverage of the Bond Fire. Bill's coverage is in line with other reports I read this afternoon: 6,400 acres burned to date. Evacuation orders remain in place as I write this. According to a tweet earlier today from Orange County Fire Authority, there have been 11 aircraft working the fire in support of the wildland firefighters on the ground.

I do check the US National Weather Service IMET Facebook page most days to see about recent deployments and other news from the IMET (Incident Meteorologist) office. When I checked this morning, I was pleased to see that a US National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists from the NWS San Diego Weather Forecast Office was deployed to the Bond Fire the afternoon of December 3rd. 

With critical fire weather still forecast for the Los Angeles area through December 5th and again early next week, I am relieved that an IMET will be working this fire to provide location specific forecasts so that the wildland firefighters and the nearby residents will be safe. IMETS save lives. 

2020 wildfire season: a news report about an NWS IMET talking about an Oregon wildfire

 Thanks to my friends at the NWS Incident Meteorologist Facebook page who shared a great news report about one of their IMETs, Tom Wright. At the time this report on KEZI in Eugene Oregon aired on or about November 24th, Tom was working as an IMET on a wildfire in Oregon. Tom is a NWS Meteorologist in the NWS Medford OR Weather Forecast Office. You will be taken through a normal day in the life of an IMET. I learned a lot from this video, learning a little more about soundings and about the kestrel instrument that he uses. I am never quite sure how long a broadcast news station will keep the video and the report up on their website, but I think that this will be up for awhile. On June 23, 2021, I noticed that the video that I had embedded is no longer available, but the November 24th KEZI news report and may be found here.

2020 wildfire season: in review through mid-November

Before you watch a short video from The National Interagency Fire Center, I want to share a few reflections on the 2020 wildfire season in the United States.

I have written several times about this devastating wildfire season in the United States, especially in the west. 8.7 million acres have burned. Twelve firefighters lost their lives. I wish I knew the number of civilians, non-firefighters, who lost their lives, but I do not. My heartfelt prayers to the families, friends, and all who loved those that lost their lives -- firefighters and civilians. Let us always remember.

Thousands of homes and businesses have been destroyed. Those who have lost a home and/or a business are left to rebuild once the clean-up is finished. Perhaps some won't go back. For many, their lives won't be the same for a long time. Then there are the emotional scars. Depending on the ecosystem and how badly the soil was burned, the burned landscape may take generations to recover. 

The firefighters on the ground and in the air have worked very hard. My thoughts, prayers, and profound thanks are with all of you. Kudos to you. Your sacrifice won't be forgotten.

Direct link to video from The National Interagency Fire Center

2020 wildfire season: wildfire in Delaware State Forest, Monroe County PA

Direct link to video from PAHomepage

Thanks to a friend from the New Jersey Forest Fire Service who alerted me to the video I shared above about a wildfire that was first reported on Saturday, November 7th near Paradise Township in the Delaware State Forest in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. The fire, which burned on the order of 800 acres in the Devils Hole area of the Delaware State Forest, burned for three days before being brought under control on Tuesday, November 10th. Arson is suspected. Thanks to all the wildland firefighters who worked to fight this wildfire and kept residences and businesses safe. Kudos to all.

I am not exactly intimately familiar with this area of Pennsylvania but in years past, but many years ago I used to drive through this area a couple of times a year on the way to visit family. And a couple of my pilot friends have taken me on scenic airplane rides over the nearby Poconos in Pennsylvania. I have never been to Delaware State Forest, but perhaps I will take a trip there next spring. 

2020 wildfire season: busy season for US NWS Incident Meterologists

I want to take a moment to review what US National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) do:

An Incident Meteorologist (IMET) is a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist specially trained to provide onsite weather support at wildfires and other all-hazard incidents. Weather briefings and forecasts provided by NWS IMETs ensure the safety of operational personnel and assist incident management teams and responders with critical decision support activities. The NWS IMET cadre has been serving the nation’s incident responders for nearly a century (obtained from US National Weather Service IMET Facebook Page (About) on November 11, 2020)

I follow the IMETs on their Facebook page noted above and knew that this was a busy year for IMETs. I want to acknowledge all the hard work that IMETs do when deployed to wildfires for up to two weeks. You are away from your families and home NWS Forecast Office for up to two weeks providing weather forecasts for the fire you are working, during a pandemic.  Occasionally, I have seen your briefings for the fire you were working on that fire's page on inciweb or elsewhere, nice job. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart for your good work and your sacrifices. 

IMETs save lives. 

Here is a post that the US National Weather Service IMET shared on their Facebook page on November 9th. 

direct link to post from US NWS IMET

2020 wildfire season: smaller wildfires under 15 acres

 In what is a devastating wildfire season in the western United States, with several very large wildfires or complexes burning. But for all of these very large fires there are a large number of very small wildfires (sometimes referred to as brush fires), under 10 or 15 acres and often smaller. These may often go unnoticed if it weren't for local media that may write about the brush fire. Thanks to Mike Archer's efforts on his five-day a week Wildfire News of the Day e-mail news letter, I get to find out about some of these smaller brush fires. 

Wildland firefighters, on the ground and at times aided by helicopters with buckets and perhaps a small air tanker, work these smaller brush fires in hopes that they be contained quickly before they can get larger. Their efforts are greatly appreciated, and I decided that I wanted to spend a little time writing about some small brush fires to honor the work of these wildland firefighters. They work to contain these smaller brush fires to keep you safe while at the same time keeping themselves safe. Sometimes it will be small crew working the fire.

Thanks to Mike Archer's Wildfire News of the Day (WNOTD), I found three small brush fires that I will highlight here. Three small brush fires to exemplify the very large number of smaller brush fires that burn in the United States and globally each year. Mike includes link to media accounts in his newsletter so I can provide you with a media report on the fire. I will include the date that Mike reported on each fire in his WNOTD newsletter.

• October 30th WNOTD, Idaho: Twenty wildland firefighters were assisted by two helicopters in working a seven-acre fire in the Salmon-Challis National Forest on Thursday, October 29th. See this article from the Idaho Mountain Express (October 30th) for more information.
• November 2nd WNOTD, Colorado: Eight wildland firefighters worked a one-quarter acre fire near Engineer Mountain in the San Juan National Forest, the fire was reported as being fully controlled on Sunday morning, November 1st with containment expected later that same day. The Durango Herald (November 2nd) reported on this fire.
• November 4th WNOTD, Idaho: every fire department in Banncock County Idaho responded to small wildfire of a several acres of grassland (acreage not determined) near a ski area on Tuesday, November 3rd. For more information see this November 3rd article from the Idaho State Journal.

Keeping wildfires (or brush fires depending on local usage) small is important and hopefully minimizes any damage to nearby structures. 

2020 wildfire season: California day after red flag warnings lifted

Direct link to October 28th update from CAL FIRE on Youtube (note the video title misidentifies the date. The video is not the October 27th update. While the video I embedded above is perhaps more meaningful to California residents or those familiar with California, I thought that some of you might want to see the video, it takes a little more than six minutes. Also it is a good way to honor and thank the hard working firefighters, on the ground and in the air along with their support teams who are fighting wildfires in California.

Like many of us, my thoughts have been with California the day after red flag warnings have been lifted. 

I wish that I could do more to acknowledge what is going in in California after an all ready devastating wildfire season then posting some videos, but it is what I can do and not overwhelm you with information. A daily update for October 28th with links for information about all wildfires currently or recently burning in California may be found here, thanks to Mike Archer at Wildfire News of the Day (WNOTD) who provided that link in todays WNOTD e-mail. I found some raw video from Loudlabs News of the two of wildfires, Silverado and Blue Ridge, both were first reported on Monday, October 26th while under red flag warnings. These two videos provide a minuscule glimpse of wildland firefighters fighting these fires. Both wildfires are in Orange County, and according to CAL FIRE, they are considered to be a part of the same complex. As I write this, according to CAL FIRE, the Silverado Fire has burned 13,354 acres and the Blue Ridge Fire has burned 14,434 acre. Evacuations were in place, two firefighters have been severely injured. For good reporting on these two fires as well as the injuries to the firefighters see Bill Gabbert's Wildfire Today article of October 28th on the Silverado and Blue Ridge Fires for more information. 

Direct link to video from Loudlabs News

Direct link to video from Loudlabs News

2020 wildfire season: red flag warnings through October 27

I first read about the current red flag warnings in this Washington Post article from the Capital Weather Gang (October 24th). These red flag warnings are in effect from October 25th through at least October 27th. I was not surprised because I knew from prior years that this is time of year when extreme fire danger can happen in California. Knowing of these red flag warnings, I went to Bill Gabbert's Wildfire Today site as a part of my daily routine of checking on current wildfire news. I saw that he had written a very nice article on Wildfire Today (October 24th) about these red flag warnings. He did his usual excellent job of reporting and I would urge you to check on his article. While I was checking Bill's site, I saw this October 26th article about the Silverado Fire which according to CAL Fire started today, evacuations are in place. Bill Gabbert has up to date information on wildfires that have started in the warned areas of California, you might want to check out his blog, Wildfire Today (on or about October 26-7) for current information.

Obtained on October 25, 2020 from https://www.weather.gov

I am not great on naming colors, but what I call the hot pink color refer to red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service. I got a downloaded a couple of images from the Facebook page of the U.S. National Weather Service Office at Sacramento, California. The image about red flag warnings is probably an updated image of what Bill Gabbert shared on October 24th.

Obtained on October 26th from NWS Sacramento CA (Oct. 26)

Peak wind gusts posted by NWS Sacramento CA, October 26th 9AM PDT

2020 wildfire season: 2020 Idaho Hotshots crew video

It is the time of year when wildfire crews are starting to release their 2020 crew videos. As y'all know,  I like crew videos. In a small way, they are giving us a brief look into their world for the 2020 fire season. Not only do we get a sense of what I call the "personality of the crew" and some of the fun they have, but more importantly we get to know what they do on the fireline. This up close look at what they do on the fireline gives me a very brief, but important view that I would not be able to see in any other way. 

The first video up is a long, nineteen minutes, but the time went quickly. In the first part of the video, we met the individual members of the Idaho Hotshots. And yes, there were some nice shots of air tanker support where I also noted that some of the areas where they were working had been treated with retardant. This exemplifies that tankers and helos fly fires to support the wildland firefighters on the ground. The rest of the video was taken up with shots of the crew working the fire. I am always open to learning, and I always learn something about wildland firefighting through crew videos. This video, because of its length, provides a good example of what the Idaho Hotshots do. I hope you take the time to watch the entire video.

Direct link to video uploaded by Krossed Saints

Thank-you Firefighters

While I can not be there holding up a sign to thank all the wildland firefighters -- on the ground, in the air, and their support teams -- I do want all of you to know how much your work on all the fires in the western United States means to me. I found a nice video, a little over six minutes uploaded on September 4th, thanking all the firefighters who were working the SCU Complex of wildfires. Many folk stood on the side of the road with signs to thank the firefighters as they passed by on their way to fight fires. The thoughts expressed in this video, while specific to one complex of wildfires,  speak to what is in my heart as an expression of my thanks to all firefighters who have worked and will continue to work wildfires in this horrendous wildfire season. Take this post as a virtual thank-you sign from me to you. Thank-you, stay safe. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Direct link to video uploaded by Incident Command Photography

2020 wildfire season: Bobcat Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER)

 Now that the Bobcat Fire is at 96 percent containment at 115,796 acres, Burned Area Emergency Response (aka BAER) has begun. I have written about BAER on previous occasions, mostly about BAER on specific wildfires (go here for these posts). It has been awhile since I last wrote about BAER and knowing that the area burned by the Bobcat Fire will be undergoing BAER, I wanted to write about this today. First, here is a short video from the National Park Service Fire and Aviationwith a general description of BAER to give you a brief idea about what BAER is about.

Direct link to video from National Park Service Fire and Aviation

There are three phases of wildfire recovery (obtained from Inciweb Page on Bobcat Fire BAER information on October 14, 2020.

1. Fire Suppression Repair 


2. Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) 


3. Long-Term Recovery and Restoration 


Fire Suppression Repair is a series of immediate post-fire actions taken to repair damages and minimize potential soil erosion and impacts resulting from fire suppression activities and usually begins before the fire is contained, and before the demobilization of an Incident Management Team. This work repairs the hand and dozer fire lines, roads, trails, staging areas, safety zones, and drop points used during fire suppression efforts. 


Emergency Stabilization-Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) is a rapid assessment of burned watersheds by a BAER team to identify imminent post-wildfire threats to human life and safety, property, and critical natural or cultural resources on National Forest System lands and take immediate actions to implement emergency stabilization measures before the first post-fire damaging events. Fires result in loss of vegetation, exposure of soil to erosion, and increased water runoff that may lead to flooding, increased sediment, debris flows, and damage to critical natural and cultural resources. BAER actions such as: mulching, seeding, installation of erosion and water run-off control structures, temporary barriers to protect recovering areas, and installation of warning signs may be implemented. BAER work may also replace safety related facilities; remove safety hazards; prevent permanent loss of habitat for threatened and endangered species; prevent the spread of noxious weeds, and protect critical cultural resources. 


Long-Term Recovery and Restoration utilizes non-emergency actions to improve fire-damaged lands that are unlikely to recover naturally and to repair or replace facilities damaged by the fire that are not critical to life and safety. This phase may include restoring burned habitat, reforestation, other planting or seeding, monitoring fire effects, replacing burned fences, interpreting cultural sites, treating noxious weed infestations, and installing interpretive signs. 

The Inciweb page for the Bobcat Fire BAER has additional information, including a soil burn severity map, mapping damage to the soil from the fire and key elements of a BAER assessment. I will keep an eye on the Bobcat Fire BAER progress and make further posts.

2020 wildfire season: Washington (labor day weekend 2020)

 I thought, but was not sure that there was a small town in Washington State that was almost completely destroyed by a wildfire in early September. Thanks to a friend from Washington who told me that the town of Malden which I believe is in Whitman County, Washington. Most of the homes were destroyed. See these two video reports from early September. After you watch these two short videos, please read this update (dated October 9th) from NPR, 'Everything is gone': rural Washington struggles after 'blowtorch' of a wildfires.

Direct link to video 

Direct link to video